First Blooming Marsh Marigold

April 4 2011 We have crossed from Allegan County into VanBuren County on highway US-31/I-196 many times and noticed a boardwalk down below the bridge over the Black River.  We checked it out and found the boardwalk to be part of the Kal-Haven (Kalamazoo to South Haven) Rail to Trail.  So this week we went to South Haven, parked off North Bailey Avenue in a parking lot ( do they charge a fee here in the summer?) and walked east on the trail.

We walked a total of 3 miles all the way to 71.5 Street 

and Baseline Road then back.  In the first mile the trail follows along the Black River,    

                  goes under Blue Star Memorial Highway,

                            then under U.S.196/31

                       to a covered pedestrian bridge.

Why was I wearing my mud boots, no mud, mostly pavement and hard packed trail material to walk on.  It was a good walk, cloudy and gray but no rain.  Cool and windy too.
After this we drove through a couple city parks, then east ~ 10 miles to Grand Junction (so named because it is located at the junction of two railroad lines) where along the Kal-Haven Trail there is a camelback bridge.  There is a cemetery on 53rd Street, we parked here and it was a mere stretch of the legs to the bridge. 

         The camelback bridge was unremarkable really.
What is not right about the sign in the picture below?

Back in the car driving north and east we came to three small bridges, they were old, no plaque with a date. The first one we came to was on 54th Street between 102nd Avenue and 103rd Avenue crossing over Barber Creek. 

We are going to check out 133rd Avenue looking for blooming wildflowers.  Marie spotted the yellow first, Marsh Marigold in bloom!  We jump out of the car, walked into the swamp (ah that mud feels good beneath my boots) and we enjoyed the somewhat bedraggled flowers.

                                           Marsh Marigolds

Marie also found some Hepatica blooming but it too was rather pathetic.  It is a slow Spring and that's OK.

River Bluff Park was on our way so we popped in there, nothing but the garden flower Snow Drops blooming.  Lots of gray and brown, trees, leaves, bridges, and sky.  Oh wait just then we got a bit of sunshine. 

That was our day and, here it comes...It was FUN!